'Frasier' Star John Mahoney Dead At 77

SEATTLE, WA - John Mahoney, the actor who played Martin Crane in the long-running NBC sitcom "Frasier," died Monday at the age of 77. Across a nearly 35-year career, Mahoney appeared on Broadway and in movies like "Moonstruck" and "The American President." But he will likely be best known for his role as Frasier Crane's father, a retired Seattle police detective.

Mahoney, born in England in 1940, died at his home in Chicago, according to reports.

In Frasier, Mahoney's character was known for his battered old easy chair and sidekick, Eddie, a Jack Russell terrier. Martin Crane often acted as a blue-collar foil to Frasier and Niles Crane's fussy, urbanane predilections. Frasier and Niles, for example, despised Martin Crane's favorite drink, Ballantine's, a cheap blended scotch.

"Frasier" aired for 11 seasons beginning in 1994, and Mahoney earned two Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations for his work on the show.

Mahoney was raised in Manchester, England, but moved to Illinois in the 1950s. He worked through the 1970s as an English teacher and editor of a medical journal. In the 1980s, he began taking acting classes, eventually acting with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago.

Mahoney's first film role was "Tin Men," but he is remembered for his role in "Say Anything..." as the kindly father of Diane Court, the love interest of Lloyd Dobler, played by John Cusack.

Caption: John Mahoney stars as Martin Crane and his famous lounge chair during the filming of the final episode of "Frasier" on a set at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles Tuesday, March 23, 2004.

Photo by Reed Saxon/Associated Press